1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



363 



the sonl. Will Mrs. Axtell tell us how to build 

 up weak colonies? I've confined them to a 

 small space in the hive, with a nice clean comb 

 of sealed honey, and tucked them up warm: 

 but failure would result. 



I've been practicing water cure for many 

 years, in curing the ailments of my family, but 

 novices should look a little out or they will do 

 more harm than good. A specialist of the eye 

 and ear told me lately that washing out the 

 nostrils with a douche will inflame the ears, 

 and my experience corroborates it. 



Peoria, III., April 21. Mks. L. Harrison. 



[Mrs. H.. while many of us' have had an ex- 

 perience much like your own, we have also, at 

 different times, had experience like Mrs. Ax- 

 tell's: at least. I think most of us have. We 

 thank you for your concluding caution.] 



A NEW MEMBER TO THE LADIES' CONVER- 

 SAZIONE. 



.SUCCESSFUI- WINTERING IN RICKETY HIVES, ETC. 



I am vei'y happy to notice in Gleanings a 

 ladies' department." whei-e we all can air our 

 views on the different parts of bee-keeping, be- 

 sides rendering assistance to each other in 

 many ways. I shall beg to sit on the lower 

 round of the ladder, and listen to the higher 

 liglits above me. that have had the practice 

 and experience: for that is what we all require 

 to be successful in any undertaking: it may 

 seem very pleasant to hear one tell how to do 

 this and' that, but ic is quite another thing 

 when we do it ourselves. 



I have only a few colonies, commencing with 

 one in the spring of 1889: last year increased to 

 seven, this spring dwindled down to three: have 

 lost many bees, but gained much in knowledge 

 and experience. I fed them in the fall, but very 

 late: did not take the frames out to be sure they 

 had enough, for I was afraid to handle them'. 

 There is an old saying, that •"misery likes com- 

 pany.*' and I presume to say, that there are 

 many as badly off as myself. 



CiLOVES. 



I have a jiair of rubber gloves that I have 

 used some, but dislike them very mvich. as they 

 cause the hands to pei'splre, and are very clunv 

 sy. A few days ago I changed two of my colo- 

 nies into new hives and used some common 

 gloves i)artly worn out. that were made of pig- 

 skin. They are thicker than the common kid — 

 something like dogskin, with large loose wrists. 

 I got a few stings where the fingers were worn 

 thin; but they did not trouble me as on 

 the bare hand. I use a hat with common 

 window-screen wire around the rim. four or 

 five inches deep: below that is mosquito- 

 netting, gathered at the bottom with an elastic 

 cord. 



HIVES. 



I read about hives with double walls and 

 dead-air spaces, and have come to the conclu- 

 sion they all amount to nothing, unless two im- 

 portant points are observed; first, a large strong 

 colony: second, plenty of good food, that will 

 last until they gather pollen. My reasons for 

 thinking so are these: I have a friend (a lady) 

 who raises bees, and, having a surplus, wished 

 to dispose of some of them. I thought there 

 might be a chance to replenish some of my 

 empty hives: but when I saw them I almost 

 stood aghast: some of them hung with one 

 hinge that would hardly keep thedoor fastened: 

 and one was a low square box, I might call it 

 punk (that means rotten wood). It looked as if 



one should point his finger toward it, it would 

 collapse. I did not purchase, for it was eight 

 or nine miles from my home, and I knew I never 

 should have courage to move them in such di- 

 lapidated hives. Now. will you please inform 

 your readers what kept sixteen out of seventeen 

 colonies alive through this haid winter? I 

 think it must have been strong colonies, and 

 plenty to eat; "they certainly did not lack good 

 ventilation. Mrs. W. H. Bent. 



Cochituate, Mass., Apr. 30. 



[Mrs. B., your point, that good strong colo- 

 nies, with plenty of stoi'es, often winter nicely 

 in the most rickety and exposed situations, is 

 by no means new: and a good many times rick- 

 ety hives winter all right when the others do 

 not. This points strongly toward the necessity 

 of an abundant ventilation of some sort, either 

 bottom or top. especially when bees are exposed 

 to the severity of the weather outdoors.] 



HOW TO KEEP ON GOOD TERMS WITH OUR 

 NEIGHBORS. 



SOME EXCP:I.EENT SUGiiESTION^ 

 AXTELL. 



FROM MRS. 



We should follow the rule that Christ. has laid 

 down — to '"love our neighbors as ourselves;" 

 and if our bees trespass upon our neighbors, let 

 us make good tiie harm and annoyance they 

 make, not only by sending them cakes of honey, 

 but by exhibiting neighborly kindness in many 

 ways. 



Soon we shall be setting our bees out of the 

 cellar. Those of us who have near neighbors 

 should send them word that we are about to 

 set them out. so that they may not wash on 

 such days, as it is very annoying to the good 

 housewife to have her clothes all specked up. 

 and her newly washed windows dotted. It is 

 better to meet our neighbors more than half 

 way in the matterof keeping peace, rather than 

 getting their ill will, as it costs much more in 

 dollars and cents in the long run, and kills all 

 our influence for good over them and their 

 children, and destroys our happiness and peace. 

 It is no more than right to pay our just debts, 

 that we send them liberal amounts of honey oc- 

 casionally—yes. quite often, as our good neigh- 

 boi's seldom let us know when and how much 

 our l)ees have annoyed theuL How bothered 

 they are with the bees around their horse and 

 pig' troughs! and even the little drinking- 

 vessels of the children are at times swarming 

 with bees. I don"t know that they ever at such 

 times sting the chickens, but they frighten 

 tlieir owners. The bees seem to prefer to fre- 

 quent different places for water, even when 

 they have an abundance at home in troughs of 

 easy access. 



There are many ways that the bees annoy 

 our neighbors that we never know of — hanging 

 around the milk-troughs; stinging the little 

 folks as they tramp upon them in the damp 

 places in i\w back yards: following the 

 men while at work in the fields, sometimes, 

 tliough more than likely it was some other 

 neighbor's black or hybrid bees instead of our 

 gentle Italians. Yet, because we have so many 

 bees we get the credit of the annoyance. A few 

 pounds of honey will sweeten the otherwise bit- 

 ter feelings, and cause only goodwill and kindly 

 feelings. Generally the neighbor will repay 

 much of the gift in sending back in return 

 something we appreciate as much as the honey, 

 or doing kindly deeds. 



We need not send our first-class section honey. 

 Broken pieces or bulged honey, if nicely laid on 



